Sikka language
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The Sikka language or Sikkanese, also known as Sika,[1] is spoken by around 180,000 people of the Sika ethnic group on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is a member of the Central Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.
Sikka is notable for being one of the few languages which contain a non-allophonic labiodental flap. Like many other languages in eastern Indonesia, it shows evidence of having a Papuan (non-Austronesian) substratum, but in the case of Sika, this includes extreme morphological simplification and about 20% lexical replacement in basic vocabulary. It has been hypothesized that the Austronesian languages in that area could be descendants of a creole language, resulting from the intrusion of Austronesian languages into eastern Indonesia.[2]
Sika has at least three recognized dialects:
- Sikka Natar, which is generally perceived in the region to be the most refined and most prestigious of the Sika speech varieties.
- Sara Krowe, spoken in the central hills of Sika-speaking people.
- Ata Tana 'Ai or Sara Tana 'Ai, used by both outsiders and insiders to refer to the people and language of the region; it is also used as a ritual language.[1]
Phonology
Consonants
Sika has the following consonant phonemes:[1]
Vowels
Sika has the following vowel phonemes:[1]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | |
| Mid | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link |
| Low | Template:IPA link |
References
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Template:Central Malayo-Polynesian languages Template:Languages of Indonesia